Slowly, slowly Im catching up with the backlog of photos never blogged...nothing like being able to sit in front of your computer for a few days and finish blogs some of which are 2 years old. Doing this one however was a pleasure as it was undoubtedly one of the highlights so far.
 |
| Entrance to the red square |
Lets start with the Red Square, being the
smaller of the two sites, albeit adjoining the Kremlin with its up to 20m high walls.
Containing the Lenin Mauseleum where the great man lies in an embalmed state
and at the far end the sugar spun piped icing turrets of St Basil’s Cathedral.
It’s a building I had been dying to see ever since Id seen photos of it as a
child, and it did not disappoint.
Refreshlingly, after struggling through the
Moscow Metro and hand signals with people as I got lost (the biggest effect of
the Cold War I think is that they never studied English!), the ticket office
was easy to find, the signs in English and the door guards cheerfully let me
out and in again when I hadn’t purchased a ticket to use the camera.
 |
| In here lies Lenin |
 |
| St Basil's Cathedral |
The cathedral is dedicated to a
saint…obviously and the fairy cake paint colours outside and carried inside
with exuberance- covering every wall and ceiling in iconic paintings on the
marble cement. Wooden painted icons surround some of the more sacred areas, but
in fact the best view is just gazing at it from outside. Its like a massive
circus tent with its swirls, colours, domes, lines and squares all joyfully
plopped on top of each other.
 |
| inside the cathedral |
 |
| The ceiling dome |
 |
| outside of the kremlin walls |
 |
| From the bridge overlooking the Kremlin |
After that I settled in for a few hours
wandering around the Kremlin. Poorly set out for tourists you can find yourself
wandering the full half length of the wall back and forth to sort tickets or
separate entrances. Walls running for more than a mile, this 68 acre complex is
where the rule of Russia has largely been based.
The first visit (to the Armoury) took me
no less than 20 minutes to navigate- from a seller who didn’t speak English and
couldn’t communicate that they stagger them in 1.5 hour time slots with half
hour breaks and 1 hour for lunch, to the “Entrance Kremlin” actually being the
entrance for the cathredals and the armourery entailed a lap around the kremlin
to get to its separate entrance, to dying off cold but then being turned back
at the entrance to check in my coat. Thank god it was relatively warm outside
so I didn’t worry about the back and forth.
So…finally in, I visited the Armory Museum.
Highlight…without a doubt seeing my first Faberge eggs. Amazing little things.
Sadly the egg that had the most prominent stand was out on somewhere. Still,
there were 6 others to gaze on with admiration for both the quite modern
designs in some cases and flawless jewellery skills. Second best would have to
be the Ottoman Empire horsey gifts from the Turks. Just the most incredible folly to
hang around a horses neck- 60cm tassels of pearls falling to the horses knees,
rearing bridles of 40carat emeralds, diamond tiaras with ostrich feathers, gold
cuff bracelets for each hoof. They must have looked pretty spectacular when a
200kg Russian Csarina CHECK , replete with her own 100kg dress embroidered with
jewels was astride. In fact there was a classic photo in the Tretyakov Museum
of a Csarina being led in finery on such a dressed horse with a boy
leading it. Inscription read “Negro Boy brings Csarina XXX”. From a solid
ivory throne of Ivan the Terrible through to the jewel studded crowns of the
Czars, the sleeping and formal wear of the royal family and jewel studded
bibles, some 4000 objects were displayed for admiration.
After that it was time for lunch…and yet
another “point and pray” session.
Suitably refortified I hit the jewel of the
Kremlin- the Diamond Fun. Up there with the Crown Jewels and the ex Shah of
Irans treasures, this truly was a mindblowing reminder of how rich Russia is.
Displays ranging from 6kilos of rough in all the colours through to 342 carat
monsters white diamonds, platinum nuggests weiging 7kilos, 36kilo gold nuggests
and a beautiful 35carat yellow diamond in a tiara only made in 1980 it was
quite mindblowing. The funniest was
perhaps in the regalia showcase which, aside from the usual crowns, scepters
and orbs, contained a clasp of the imperial mantle. This circa 40kg chain of
diamonds and platinum about 1.5m long had at its very front a brooch with a
rather fetching Jesus in loin cloth, spread eagled, hands and legs each
stretching down a large blue enamalled x shape.
I ended it all with another tour, another
ticket and another entrance and lap back around the Kremlin walls…to the
Cathedrals. I have to admit becoming slightly jaded now by icons. However I
duly did a lap around the Annunciation Cathedral with its six glittering gold domes
where czars were crowned and was their private chapel. Frescoes from the 14th
century decorate the walls and more than 100 icons dot the interior.
Then to the Dormition Cathedral where the
Csars were buried when they died, through to the Cathedral of the Annunciation
containing the 266 foot Ivan the Great Bell Tower.
No comments:
Post a Comment